After a fantastic night of dancing, and an extra hour of sleep, the group had a day full of exposure to the many types of aid available in Nicaragua.

The first seminar of the day was delivered by Paul, a volunteer leader from the Jinotega branch of the Peace Corps.  In a word, the lecture was inspiring.  We were taught about how the Peace Corps, rather than throw money at random projects, observes what a society needs before taking action.  The similarities between the actions of this government-run organization and all of our goals in life was astounding.  Paul’s talk elicited many questions about the Peace Corps’ operations and application process.  Maybe there are some future Peace Corps volunteers in this group.

After Paul left us (having accepted our gift of a GG cup, and having inspired us all), we ventured out to the headquarters of AVODEC.  AVODEC is an inter-Nicaraguense organization that focuses on Nicas helping Nicas, within Jinotega.  Not only was it incredible to hear about how a country –with enough hard work and dedication– can aid itself, but we also were offered the opportunity to help in our own way.  The president of AVODEC asked us to participate in the beautification of the organization’s new offices, with the painting of a mural and the building of a new roof, which –of course– we are all ecstatic about.

After a speedy dinner, Group Jinotega went out to Inec, a local school.  There, we finally got our opportunity to teach English!  Even though the electricity was cut, and we had half the amount of time we thought we’d have, we still had an amazing time with our students.  It was so heartening to see so many young people excited to learn about something new; they were even more excited to meet us.  In the very least, this was the most exciting experience of the day, and we left Inec feeling that we were finally doing what we came to do.